Tell Me Your Story
by apoole
Summary: Jamie Reagan's job as a NYPD cop leads him to meeting a female NYFD paramedic who he can't help but develop feelings for her. He slowly gets to know her but realizes that there is a lot more to her story than she's willing to reveal. Rated M for adult language and content.
1. News on TMS

Hey, followers! I just want everyone to know that I'm going to revamp this story some. I'm adding to the first two chapters and rewriting a little bit. They'll be updated soon!


	2. Chapter One: First Encounter

Jamie Reagan adjusted his collar on his uniform shirt as he and his partner, Eric Myers walked down the busy sidewalk of New York City. It was mid-February and one of the coldest days they had all winter long. They stopped at a street vendor they came across each day and grabbed a hot cup of coffee.

"It's unusually quiet," Eric said instantly jinxing the team.

Their dispatcher came across the radio, "Motor vehicle collision at 22nd and Church with injuries and entrapment."

"We're close to that, let's go check it out," Jamie said reaching to key up his mic.

"I hate working those calls. Too many by standers. People cursing you. Fire and rescue can be a pain," Eric whined.

"You'll get over it, let's go," Jamie said pulling his arm and they rushed back to their police car.

They arrived on scene to find a small car that had hit a telephone pole. There was smoke coming from under the hood of the car. FDNY was on scene with two ambulances and a fire truck. The scene seemed chaotic but Jamie and Eric kept the bystanders back.

Jamie kept glancing over toward the female medic trying to help the patient in the car. He noticed that the man that had gotten out of the car on his own was arguing with her.

"Listen, lady. Let me get my buddy out. He's fine," the man said grabbing her arm and pulling her.

The medic pulled away from him and held up her hands. "Sir, I'm trying to do my job. Your friend is not fine. I need you to step back and let me do my job before he gets worse," she said.

She turned back to the car and was immediately pulled away with a force that knocked her down. Jamie saw what happened and rushed over to them. "Hands off the medics! You may have been in accident but that won't stop me from arresting your ass," he yelled pushing the guy back.

He turned back to the medic that had been pushed down and extended his hand out to help her stand up. She pulled herself up and dusted off her clothing. "Thanks officer," she said. "People sure are pushy around here."

He smiled and said, "You must not be from New York."

She nodded and smiled and went back to helping with the accident. Thirty minutes later everything had calmed down. Jamie and his partner left the scene as the tow truck began to load up the car to be taken away. Eric looked over at him and asked, "Where are we heading off to now?"

"Over to the hospital," Jamie said.

"And why are we going to the hospital?" Eric asked again.

"I want to check on that medic that was pushed around on scene," Jamie said as he drove through traffic toward the hospital.

They pulled into a designated parking spot for police near where the ambulances parked. Once getting out of the car Jamie spotted the medic sitting in the front passenger seat of the ambulance with a computer in her lap. He walked over and knocked on the side of the truck.

She looked up from the computer and smiled. "Hello again, officer," she said.

"Hey," he said trying not to seem like he was stalking her down, which was exactly what he had done. "I wanted to check in and make sure you were okay. That guy was a jerk back there."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess you will have that sometimes."

"I've never seen you on the bus before," he said.

"I started working here three months ago. They just released me to be on my own this month. It's been crazy ever since," she said as she continued to type.

"Where are you from," he asked her.

She shut the laptop and turned to look at him. "I'm from Virginia. I got an offer to work with NYFD last year and finally got settled to move up here," she said. "It feels like you're interrogating me, officer."

"Reagan, Jamie Reagan. You're new and I just wanted to see who you were."

"It's nice to meet you Officer Raegan. Thank you for helping me out back there. Those guys were intoxicated so I assume they didn't want to get in trouble. The people of New York sure know how to show hospitality to their emergency medical providers."

"Try being a cop."

"I'm Ashley by the way. Ashley Primm. Maybe I'll see you somewhere down the road again."

"I'm sure we will. Take care and don't let anymore jerks push you around."

"I can take care of myself, Raegan."

Jamie smiled at her again and said goodbye. He went back to the police car where he had left his partner sitting.

"She's cute," Eric said after the door was shut.

"What?"

"That girl. The medic."

"Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She's new too."

"She single?"

"What? That wasn't on my list of things to ask."

Jamie continued to ignore his partner's questions and comments for the rest of the day. Soon their shift was over and Jamie changed in to his street clothes. He found his way a few blocks down the street to a local bar he went to often to meet his brother. He found where he was sitting and placed his coat on the back of the chair next to his brother.

"Hey Danny," he said as he sat down.

"Hey, kid. Hey, two pints please," Danny said toward the bartender.

The two brothers sat and discussed their day with each other. They ignored the other patrons around them until they were interrupted. "I thought I heard the Yankee in here," said a female voice.

Danny looked over his shoulder and laughed. "I figured that was you, hillbilly," he said.

Jamie turned around and saw the female paramedic he had met earlier that day. "Hello, Officer," she said to him. He instantly noticed she had a southern twang to her voice. This made him grin a little.

"Oh, he's officer and all I get is Yankee? You FDNY people are something," Danny said.

"Sorry, Danny. I didn't realize I met your brother today," she said.

"Oh, you met Jamie today? Did he give you a hard time?" he asked her.

"No, he actually had my back. You cops ain't too bad," she said.

"Ashley, right?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, Jamie. Thank you again for your help," she said flashing a smile at him.

"Sit down, Ash. I'm sure you had just as hard of a day as we had," Danny said and moved down to another stool so that she could sit between him and Jamie.

She sat down and leaned forward. "Can I just get a coke?" she asked the bartender.

"Coke? Please tell me that you want something stout in that too," Danny said.

"No," she said smiling. "I don't drink."

"Well, if you're going to sit with the boys you need to have at least one," Danny said and ordered her a shot of whiskey to go with her coke.

The three sat there for a few more hours talking about various things and laughing. Jamie noticed that Ashley had drank more than she had meant to while sitting there. She laughed a little louder at each joke they told. Before long she got quiet and sighed.

"I guess it's time for me to go. I have a long walk and need to head out before it gets too late. Plus I forgot my coat back at the station," she said standing up from the bar stool.

She stumbled against Jamie and blushed. "Hey, I'll walk you home," he said.

"No, I will be okay," she said.

"Sorry Ash, I'm with my brother on this one. I've seen that neighborhood at night," Danny said.

"Okay, but only because I trust your judgement Danny," she said patting Danny's shoulder.

Jamie picked his coat up as he stood up and handed it to Ashley. She willingly took it and put it on. They paid their tabs and the three left the bar. Danny said his goodbyes and left in his car. Jamie followed alongside Ashley toward her apartment. They were silent during most of the walk.

Jamie broke the silence and asked, "So what's your story?"

"My story?" She asked him.

"Sometimes when someone moves here they have a story. I'm sure you had a lot of offers back home. Why come all the way out to a big city like this?" He asked.

He saw her shrug and she said, "I don't really have a story."

"Of course you do," he said.

"Oh yeah? Go ahead and guess what my story is," she said with a small laugh.

"Okay, I'll play," he said. "You came to the city in hopes of making it big on Broadway. Once you got here you learned that you can't sing or dance so you joined up with the NYFD."

That made her laugh. "Wow Reagan, you were so close!"

"Really?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what is it?"

She sighed and stopped walking. "My story isn't great. I was just a smalltown girl living in a lonley world."

"Journey huh?"

"You caught me," she laughed agaun and sighed loud. "I never wanted to come to a big city. I'm use to the country life. My parents divorced when I was a kid. Mom went away and my dad raised me. He passed away a couple of years ago unexpectedly. He left me everything and I didn't have to worry about any debt that he left me. Nice house on a nice piece of land. Pefect right? I couldn't stand the thought of living there without my dad. I needed change."

Jamie frowned and looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said.

"I dwelled on my dad's death for a year. That wasn't the kid he raised. I made up my mind to do what my dad would want me to do. I made some arrangements and moved up here. I have someone taking care of things back home and I can go down when I want. I chose New York because that's where my dad was during 9/11," she breathed deep and continued.

"I want to make my dad proud. I worked hard for years to get where I am now. I hope he's seeing that."

"I'm sure he is Ashley," he said.

They walked for a few more blocks and made it to Ashley's apartment. She pointed down an alley way and said, "The entrance is down that way. Thank you for walking me home."

"Danny was right. It's kind of rough looking around here," he said.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. I have one of the nicer apartments here honestly," she said.

"Yeah but I won't feel right unless I know you make it all the way," he said and linked his arm with hers.

She led him down the alley to the door to her apartment. She found her keys and opened the door. "Thank you again, Jamie. You're a sweet guy."

"It's nothing. Protect and serve right? Be safe. Maybe I'll catch you another day?" He said smiling.

"One can hope," she said. He waited until she closed the door and walked away.

After walking a few blocks from her apartment his cell phone started ringing and he saw that his brother Danny was calling him. He answered it and said, "You must be watching me or something."

"Yeah, I have two guys on you now. Did I interrupt something?" Danny asked him.

"No, I was heading home. I made sure Ashley made it into her apartment," Jamie said.

"She's a good kid. A damn good medic too. You got her number right?" Danny asked.

"No, I didn't get a chance to ask for it," he said.

"Obviously, you never learned anything I taught you," Danny said with disappointment.

Jamie laughed and said, "I left my coat with her. I'll get it back tomorrow. Hey, what all do you know about her?"

"A few ends and outs but not a lot. Like I said, she's a good kid.


	3. Chapter Two: Explosion

It was a typical Sunday at the Reagan household. Every Sunday they all got together and had dinner. Conversations usually consisted of work related things or how the children were doing in school. For a moment everyone was silent aside from the clanking of the silverware on the dinner plates.

"Has Jamie told anyone about the girl he has met?" Danny asked breaking the silence.

"No, this is the first time I've heard of this," Erin, their sister, said.

Jamie grinned and looked down at his plate. "There isn't anything to tell about. I just walked her home. You know her better than I do, Danny," he said.

Danny's wife Linda looked over at him and asked, "Someone I know?"

"Yes, that medic from Virginia. You've talked to her in the ER," Danny said.

"Oh, Ashley. She's a sweet girl. When did you start seeing her, Jamie?" she asked him.

"I'm not seeing anyone. I walked her home from the bar a couple of nights ago," Jamie said.

"Did she bring your coat to you yet?" Danny asked.

"No." Jamie said with a frown.

Their father, Frank, had been silent during the conversation. He took a sip from his glass of wine and sat it down. "Are we talking about Ashley Primm?" he asked.

"Yeah, dad. You know her?" Jamie asked.

"Yes," Frank said. "Her father was a captain at one of the NYFD stations during 9/11."

"So she lived here then?" Jamie asked.

"No, if I remember right, her parents were divorced. I met her one summer when she came to visit. I've also met her some recently. I like her work ethic. It's a shame about her father. He was a good man. He moved back to Virginia when he retired," Frank said.

"What happened to him?" Linda asked.

"He was killed in an accident in Virginia. He was on his way to the hospital for a weekly chemo treatment," Frank said sadly.

"I remember her dad retired after he found out he had cancer. I didn't know he moved. Great guy," Danny said.

"Is she catholic?" Their grandfather, Henry asked.

"I don't know, grandpa. I just met her," Jamie said.

"If you marry her I'm not so sure you can get married in the church," Henry said grinning.

Jamie leaned back in his chair with his cheeks turning red. He smiled and said, "I will be sure to find that out."

After everyone had finished eating Jamie and Danny were given dish duty. They stood side by side occasionally elbowing each other and making jokes.

"So she hasn't tried to give that coat back yet?" Danny asked.

"Nah, I'm not too worried about it either," Jamie said.

"That probably wasn't your best way of picking up chicks," Danny said smirking.

"Sorry that I'm not quite the Romeo that you are," Jamie said pushing him away from the sink.

"You'll learn kid. Soon enough you'll have a nagging wife and two kids of your own," Danny said.

"You better not let Linda hear that. You have to go home with her not me."

Ashley nervously stood outside the twelfth precinct that Jamie pulled his tour from. She saw him walking down the steps to the street and called out for him.

"Officer Reagan!"

He stopped and smiled seeing that it was her. "Call me Jamie, please"

"Sorry, Jamie," she said. "I forgot to give your coat back to you. I hate to think that you were freezing."

She handed over the black coat to him that had been placed over her arm and he took it from her. "It wasn't too bad," he said. "Thanks for bringing it back though."

"When I took it off I realized it wasn't mine. Then I thought about calling you, but I didn't have your number," she said.

He smiled and said, "I probably wouldn't have answered it. I try not to let unknown numbers call my phone."

"Oh, well that wouldn't have worked then. Um, thanks again for the walk home. I have to head to work now. Night shift and I get to play firefighter tonight," she said giving him a thumbs up to show her excitement.

He noticed that she didn't catch his effort to get her phone number and said, "I'd really like to have your phone number."

She blinked and said, "Oh."

He put his hand in his shirt pocket and handed it to her. "Just in case," he said.

She took his phone and dialed in her number then gave it back to him. "There you go. It's technically a long distance number. I never switched numbers after I moved up here. If you ever need any medical attention just call me," she said then looked down realizing she probably said something inappropriate. "I didn't mean it like that."

He held back a laugh and said, "I know what you meant. I will text you with my number. You said you were working nightshift on the truck right?"

"Yeah," she said. "A guy called out sick and no one else wanted to work. I could use the overtime so I offered. I don't get to play with hoses that much anyway."

Jamie laughed when Ashley realized she said something off color again. "I'm on patrol tonight. Stay safe tonight," he said.

"Thanks, you too," she said. She awkwardly waved at him and left with whatever dignity she thought she still had after embarrassing herself.

Once at the fire station she changed into her uniform for her twelve hour shift. This was only the third time she had ever pulled a shift with the fire side of the NYFD and she prayed that it was as uneventful as the other times. She found a list of things that needed to be done throughout the night. Out of boredom she quickly finished the list and was left with nothing else to do other than relax. She wandered into the living quarters of the station and made herself comfortable in a free spot on the couch. She looked at her watch and saw that it was only after eight. It was going to be a long night for sure.

Around eleven the alarm to the station sounded signaling that they had a call. She along with the eleven other department members rushed to their truck that they were assigned to. She quickly jumped into her turnout gear and climbed into the seat of the truck. The dispatcher announced to them of a possible structure fire with smoke coming from all the windows. She pulled on the straps to the SCBA she would be wearing and patiently waited for them to arrive on scene.

Once there they all piled out and proceeded to do as the fire chief ordered. She was to make entry with three others to find where the fire could be since they saw no flames showing. They removed fire hoses from the truck and made their way inside. She breathed slowly in her mask as they climbed stairs toward the top of the building. The further they went the thicker the smoke became.

"Primm, stay close to me," she was told by her lieutenant, Paul McDaniels.

"Are we almost to the top?" She asked him as they continued up.

"I think. It's getting hotter so the fire must be close," he said.

After climbing up two more floors the found a door with an orange light peering from the gap at the bottom. They were careful when opening to door to make sure they didn't get a backdraft from the fire. When entering the room, Ashley had a strange feeling. She had been on countless fire calls before but something about this room felt different. It was an old office building that had been shut down. The room was large and still had some cubicles set up. Aside from that it was empty. They found the area where the fire was. It was a large overturned barrel in the back of the room. McDaniels made confirmed they had found the fire and they began attempts to put it out.

The black smoke quickly turned to white and the fire was extinguished. Ashley and Paul broke off from the other two and began to look around. Her uneasy feeling continued to grow as they entered into a back room. As the door opened they heard a loud hiss. After that Ashley heard nothing but felt her body being forced to the floor. She saw a bright light as Paul used his body to move her. Now she could hear a high pitched ringing. She lay there unable to move because of Paul's body weight. Closing her eyes she waited until she felt something different. She didn't know what was happening.

Her eyes opened and she was being led down the stairs. They were mumbling but she couldn't hear them over the ringing. Once outside she collapsed to her knees and threw off her SCBA, helmet, and coat. She covered her ears and bent forward hoping to make the ringing stop. Her head felt like it was going to explode and she felt people tugging on her. After a few moments she could make out some of what people were saying.

"Where's McDaniels?" She asked as she sat on her bottom.

"He's over at the ambulance," one of the medics said. Ashley had blurred vision so she couldn't see who was talking to her. "Are you okay, Primm?"

She put her head in her hands and shook her head no. She felt something wet trickle down her forearm and saw that it was blood. "I think I'm bleeding," she said.

Her hand was grabbed and a light shown in her eyes. "She have something in your hand and a huge gash over your right eye. Did you have your helmet on?" The medic asked.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened." Her head began to hurt she wanted to do was lay down. She began to lean backwards and everything went black.

Jamie was standing at his police car when he heard an explosion from the building he was watching traffic for. He and his partner, Eric rushed closer to see what was happening. He walked past the firefighters as the rushed around on scene. He looked around and thought he saw Ashley. She seemed to be lifeless on the ground with the medics hovering over her attempting to secure her to a long spine board.. He noticed she had blood running down the side of her face.

He went over and crouched down next to her. "What happened?" He asked one of the medics

"They made entry into the building and an explosion happened after they got the main fireknocked down," he said.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. She blackedout. We're going to get her on the rig and out of here."

The medics had Ashley loaded into the ambulance and on their way to the emergency room. He looked around and saw Paul McDaniels sitting on the bumper of another ambulance. He sprinted over to talk to him.

"Hey, they took Ashley to the hospital. What happened in there?" Jamie asked him.

Paul shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue," he said. "We opened a door and heard something. I jumped and pushed Primm out of the way before we got blown through the other side of the building. It wasn't a backdraft either. Something was set up to go off."

Soon more people were at the scene of the fire and it was out completely. Jamie and Eric cleared from the scene just in time for their shift to end. He changed into his street clothes and left to go to the hospital. He parked his car and went to the emergency department. Showing his police shield to the nurse at the front desk he was led through the busy hallways to the area Ashley was in. She laid in a bed a towel above her eye and had her hand elevated on a metal table.

"Hey, Jamie," she said.

He found an empty chair and sat down next to her. "You look rough," he said.

"I feel it. I'm waiting for my scans to come back and eventually they're going to sew my eye up. I'm not dying so I'm not much of a priority, but at least I'm further in line than the drug seekers," she said trying to make the situation seem better.

"Paul is okay. I told him you were coming up here," he told her.

"Thank God," she said feeling relieved. "I think he pushed me out of the way of a blast. It happened so quickly honestly."

"I heard the explosion. It was bad. Everyone got out though, that's all that matters," he said.

She closed her eyes and her face tensed up with pain. "My head hurts so bad," she said.

"Do you gave a concussion?" Jamie asked her.

"Probably," she said. "I wish they'd hurry up with everything. I'd like to go back to work."

Jamie laughed and said, "I doubt you go back to work."

"I wish."

They waited awhile longer. The doctor finally came in and started discussing the results with Ashley. She had a grade III concussion but no signs of internal bleeding. She got stitches to the cut above her eye and the laceration on the palm of her hand. She also received a shot of mild pain medication in her hip and a prescription. Her discharge papers were given to her and she was ready to leave. Jamie watched as she unsteadily stood up from the bed. He moved over to her and put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"I'm okay," she said trying to smile.

"I can tell," he said. "How do you plan on getting home?"

"Walk, just like I always do," she said.

"I don't think so. A pretty girl post head injury is just asking for trouble on the streets. I have my car and I'm offering to take you to your apartment," he said. He noticed that she started to sway on her feet as he talked. He helped her sit back down on the bed. He looked around and found an empty wheelchair for her to sit in. She didn't feel like disagreeing with him and willingly sat in the wheelchair when he told her to.

He left her in the lobby of the hospital and hurried outside to pull his car around. As he pushed her toward the car she complimented on how nice it looked. He smiled and opened the passenger side door for her.

"I need to go to the fire house before I go to my apartment," she said as he helped her in the car.

"Sure, we'll go where ever you need," he said. She smiled up at him and he shut the door once she pulled her legs in.

They pulled up to the fire station as the trucks were backing in from the last fire call. Jamie rushed around to the passenger side of the car to help Ashley. McDaniels saw the two as he stepped out of the fire truck. He walked toward Ashley and hugged her.

"I'm glad to see you, kid," he said.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

He stepped back and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not as banged up as you," he said.

"I came to get some stuff I left. Is there any paperwork I need to fill out?" she asked.

"I got it under control. Make sure you stick to whatever discharge instructions. How long did the doctor put you out for?" He asked.

"A week but I have to follow up with a doctor before I can return," she said rolling her eyes.

"Alright. Get whatever you need and keep me updated. Maybe you'll be back on the bus when you come back. I'm sorry this happened," he said.

Jamie stayed outside as Ashley went into the fire house to get what she needed. McDaniels looked at Jamie and grinned. "Are you after her?" He asked.

Jamie shook his head and said, "No, she's a nice girl. I'm just watching out for her."

"Watch out for her good. She's one of NYFD's true," McDaniels said.

Ashley returned and gave McDaniels a goodbye and she got back in the car. The ride was silent; Jamie noticed Ashley had her head resting against the window. He smiled to himself and tried to drive easy. He pulled up to her apartment building and gently shook her. "We're here."

She opened her eyes and sighed. "Thank you, Jamie. I'm sorry if this ruined the rest of your night," she said.

"Well, its morning now, and no nothing was ruined for me. I didn't mind at all helping you," he said.

"I will catch you later I guess," she said hesitating getting out of the car.

"Yeah, you will," he said. "Look, when you feel up to it, if you want to, I'd like to take you out for lunch or dinner one day."

"Of course. I'd like that. There's a lot of New York that I haven't seen yet. Maybe you can show me around," she said.

"Yeah, I will. Do you have it from here?" He asked her. She smiled then almost fell out the cardoor. "That answers my question."

He instructed her to wait and hurridly got outof the car to help her. The two slowly made it to her apartment door. He helped her with her keys then guided her inside. It was obvious that she was growing tired.

"What do you need, Ash?" he asked her.

"Clean clothes and my bed." she replied.

"Um, okay. I'll help as much as I can. Where do we need to go?"

She pointed to the door of her bedroom. He gently placed his hand on her lower back and helped guide her.

"I need to sit, Jamie. I can't move much more," she said feeling her pain and weakness set in.

"I got you. Don't worry," he said. He guided her to her bed and helped her lower herself down to sit on the edge. "Okay, tell me where to getsomething for you to sleep in."

She pointed to a dresserand said, "There is a tank top and pair of shorts in the top drawer. Thats all I have until I do my laundry."

He noddedand got what she told him to. He stood with the clothing in hand in front of her. "I'm going to help. Stand up and turn away from me. I promise to not look at anything."

"Okay," she said sounding weaker. He helped her change into her clean clothes and turned the sheets down on her bed. She settled in and grabbed his hand move he could cover her with a blanket.

"I dont want you to sleep with me but stay as long as you can," she said looking up at him.

"I need to let you rest, Ashley," he said.

He could see tears forming in her eyes. "I will," she said. "Just stay until I go to sleep. I'm just scared right now."

He didn't want her to be upset. "Okay," he said. "I'll stay."

He looked around the room and found a soft cusioned chair. We pushed it over next to the bed.

"Is this good?" he asked her.

"It is. Thank you. You can go when I'm asleep," she said. He sat there in silence and listened to her breathing. In minutes she was asleep. He could have left her. He could have left her to wake up alone and hurting enough that she couldn't move. He didnt. He stayed to make sure she would be okay.


End file.
